Don't Play With Fire
by zaynub
Summary: Katara is stuck in the hospital, suffering from amnesia. She remembers most of her life but cannot recall what has happened in the past few weeks. All she knows is that some accident occurred involving her, Aang, and Zuko. Aang fleetingly reassures her everything is okay to no avail, when Zuko comes and tries to fill in the gaps of her memory via flashbacks. [Zutara]
1. Prologue

Katara lay in bed, completely disoriented with no recollection of the past few days. She remembered her closest friends, and some sort of fight, but everything remained a blur. She knew she was in a relationship with Aang but something had happened with Zuko. Anytime she thought of him, a flush of red crept into her cheeks, for reasons she just could not remember.

Aang had visited her and told her everything was going to be okay, but he seemed fidgety, hesitant, and couldn't look her straight in the eye. He said that there had been a bad fight with some villains and she had taken a bad hit. He assured her that he'd be back to take care of her but he had to take care of some Avatar issues first. There was a general feeling of uneasiness that poured of out of him and it gave Katara a sense of wrongdoing. Katara attempted sitting up, to ask him what was wrong, but he left before she could really be sure he was even there. Aang had left the infirmary to go save the world, but he failed to realize that he also left Katara's world in ruins, ready to collapse.

Katara didn't know what was going on but she knew it involved Zuko somehow. Unfortunately, she could not recall a single event, and she yearned for someone, anyone, to fill in the gaps of her cloudy memory. Suddenly, as if answering her unspoken plea, a shadow appeared behind the curtains, and honey amber eyes peeped in. While Aang was off saving the world, Zuko decided it would be nice to save Katara from her own world.


	2. Amnesia

Zuko wasn't expecting to see her awake so soon. He had come in to simply watch over while she slept yet here she was, fully conscious with a look that was just dying for information. He opened his mouth but no words came out. She looked just as incapable of speaking as he was.

Katara wasn't sure how to break the sticky silence but she didn't need to; Zuko suddenly flashed a smile and put his hand up.

"Hi, Zuko here."

That set them both off and they simultaneously burst into laughter. Katara marveled at the raspy sound of Zuko's laughter, wondering how long it had been since she heard such a sound. Katara found comfort in the memory of Zuko's first greeting as a "good" guy and as soon as she stopped laughing, she ached for more comfort, to feel close to a person again. In that same instant, Zuko took a step forward and encased his arms around her. His touch felt so familiar to her that suddenly she didn't care about her lost memories-all she wanted was to remember this one. His arms felt like home to her and she wasn't ready to move just yet. He sensed her distress and hugged her tighter.

"How's your memory holding up?" he whispered into her ear

His breath lingered down her neck and left a tingling sensation that rendered her thoughts utterly incoherent.

"Umm..it's not."

He pulled away abruptly, with a look of concern. "You don't remember anything?"

"No. I mean I do. I remember you and everyone else. The last thing I remember was all of us playing volleyball at the beach. I have no idea how I got here."

"Oh…" he trailed off.

"Zuko, please, tell me what happened. Aang is being weird and won't tell me anything. I need to know. I need you to tell me."

Zuko deliberated for a moment but he knew the time had come.

"Katara," Zuko said. "You once told me the story of how Aang played with fire and you got burned. Well this is the story of how you played with fire and Aang got burned."


	3. Washed Out

Katara and Aang had been practicing their waterbending when Katara told Aang to stop being so gentle with the waves and put a little force into it. She said this in an ominous tone, referring more to their relationship than their waterbending. Aang recognized her tone and sensed a tsunami riding its way into Katara's heart, but for reasons he could not comprehend. He was always gentle with her, never prodding her into doing anything she didn't seem to want, and always letting her choose what to do.

"Aang, you're not listening to me. If you want to actually improve your ability to create waves, you have to put more force into it. Don't let the wave wipe you out-take control of the wave and wipe it out." The wave would also like to go on an adventure instead of doing nothing, Katara finished the thought in her head.

"Katara," Aang started. "Is this really about the waves? Or is there something bothering you? You know I like to be peaceful with the spirits."

"Me? No, of course not. There's nothing bothering me at all. Nothing besides everything I just told you. Control the stupid wave and focus on your waterbending."

"But, Katara…"

"Do your waterbending Aang! If you want to be the Avatar then you have to take the initiative. I can't help you with that."

"Katar-"

"See you later Aang. Work on those waves"

Katara jumped into the lake, literally, and created such a powerful wave that Aang was knocked clean off his feet. She rode away as fast as she could, not bothering to look back and not caring to see where she was going. She could feel the water pressure building inside of her and channeled it all into the wave. She rode her released fury like a high. Katara couldn't explain why she exploded on Aang because she already had explained it so many times and he just never listened, no matter how she said it. She was sick of constantly taking care of Aang, while never taking any care of herself. She kept giving all her love and compassion but she never got any love back. Whatever love Aang gave her, it was always a result of her pampering him. And she was absolutely sick and tired of it. She just wanted to have someone, anyone, just love her and take charge of her and release all her problems from her shoulders instead of adding to them.

She wasn't sure when the salt dripping down her face mixed in with the spray of freshwater but sure enough her furious adrenaline began to decline. She could see the beach ahead but knew not her destination. She was exhausted and every bit of her ached. Katara felt physically and emotionally drained. Her hands were rough and red from the water and her heart was ready to blow up from all her suppressed emotions. The flow of tears pouring down her face increased faster than the waves receded and the next thing she knew, she was tumbling out of the waves, sobbing as she went down.

Katara closed her eyes, too exhausted to slow her fall, too tired to really care. She heard some outcry from below but was already on the brink of unconsciousness. Through the infinitesimal gap between her eyelids, she saw a red jet stream hurling towards her. She felt a sudden rush of warmth right before she fell into a world of black.


	4. Leaking

Katara's eyelids felt like they were weighed down by a tsunami but her eyes flickered open. She saw that she was at the beach, but she was too weak to fully move around. She forced her eyes open and looked around her. She was sitting on a makeshift sand bed and with a glance to the right, there was a familiar red tunic laying on a rock. She looked around for its owner but couldn't locate him, when she heard his voice.

"You're awake," he said, in a tone of relief. "I was starting to get worried."

She had no strength to talk, nor did she have any words to say. She looked at him, at a complete loss for words. Everything was so overwhelming and she felt as if her heart had been bloodbended. More than anything in the world, she needed to be held, to be told she was okay. Despite the immense physical toll, she got up and flung herself into Zuko's arms. She succumbed to all the pain and let it wash over her, sobbing heavily into him. His split second hesitation almost seemed like an act, for he opened his arms at the exact time she reached for him and kept her locked in the embrace. When she finally regained her breath, the words poured out of her mouth faster than the sand spilling back into the ocean.

"I can't do this anymore. I can't keep doing everything for him and getting nothing for myself. I can't sit around and wait for him to save the world when he can't even save me. I can't keep killing myself, watching him save everyone else.."

She started sobbing again, becoming more incoherent by the word. "I just need to feel loved again." Her final plea left her utterly broken, feeling like her body was just a cracked vessel.

Zuko's eyes melted into his signature honey amber and he knew he couldn't leave her so broken, he had to fix her, he had to patch her up again. He loosened his grip on Katara, no longer resting his head on top of her, and pushed himself back to arm's length, causing Katara to glance up from her nest in his chest. She felt so raw, so utterly vulnerable, and the desire to be loved was too strong. Throughout her sobbing episode, all Zuko did was listen and be there. And that was all she needed. They made eye contact and before she knew it, she felt her lips pressing into his with the utmost sense of urgency. She hadn't expected him to respond with the same need yet here he was, cupping her face with gentle but firm hands, taking complete control.

Katara felt her sheer exhaustion slowly fading away and with its leave came a feeling of desperate urgency. At the same moment, she became aware of the fact that Zuko was lying shirtless with sweat glistening from his skin. She wrapped her arms around his nape and pulled him closer, as she slowly leaned back into the sand bed. He placed a hand under her waist, smoothly yet urgently lifting her back onto the bed.

He leaned in to kiss her, but paused as their foreheads touched, with a questioning look in his eyes. Her eyes had a hint of insanity in them but the permission was as clear as the ocean in her eyes was and she nearly dragged his face down. Over and over again their mouths found each other, and Katara felt herself slowly filling up again. Zuko paused every now and then to make sure this was what she needed, and the answer was clearly reflected in the repaired condition of the storm in her eyes. When it seemed like all the cracks in her eyes were finally patched up, Zuko propped himself on his arms, his face several inches away from her with their bodies retaining the proximity, totally tangled.

As he looked deep into her now electric eyes, he felt something move in his heart, and he felt the strongest, most inexplicable need for this precious girl in front of him to know that she was loved. His brain abruptly went into overdrive and his mouth formed the words his heart had never been able to admit.

"Katara," Zuko blurted. "I love you."


	5. You Are All I Need

_**SMUT WARNING**_

Katara froze. Her heart was utterly fragile from dealing with Aang, and she wasn't prepared to deal with her emotions just yet. She usually followed her brain and her heart but something about Zuko brought her primal instinct back to her. She opted to listen to her instincts, which told her to please the point centered beneath her naval. She knew she should've been loyal to her faithful idiot but the monster inside of her told her she needed better. And the best was wrapped around her right now.

Her whole body ached of uncontrollable desire so she looked deep into his eyes and passionately kissed him, wrapping her fingers in his hair and pulling him closer. He took the kiss as a yes to the unspoken question and his hands started to wander much lower than before.

He unstrapped her bra and grabbed her boobs as he leaned in to kiss her neck. She threw her head back and ran her fingers through his hair, letting out a huge sigh-whether it was of relief or of desire, she did not know. She felt his fingers trailing down her stomach at an excruciatingly slow pace, as her legs involuntarily parted.

"Zuko," she pleaded.

"It's okay, Katara, it's okay," he reassured her in a throaty voice.

_God he sounds so hot,_ Katara thought, and she could already feel herself getting wet. She leaned flat on her back, humping him on her way down as his fingers followed suit.

She was going crazy with desire, wanting nothing more than him inside of her, but he was teasing her. A part of her felt like crying, thinking that she would never get what she wanted from a guy, but she knew that was just her brain being irrational from Aang. Her instinct, on the other hand, was reveling in the teasing, knowing that this was what she had wanted all along. His fingers, previously gentle and slow, were suddenly on her clit, with a huge change of face. He flicked her clit back and forth and Katara was overcome with overwhelming sensation. _Holy fucking shit, this is so hot, _Katara thought as she started panting.

She stared at Zuko as Zuko tauntingly grinned back at her, all the time maintaining the motion. She was squirming like crazy, unused to the intensity of desire, and Zuko smirked at her as he lowered his head from her neck down to her-_oh my god, is he really going to do this?-_His fingers kept pace as he hovered around her vagina. She couldn't even stare at him, only looking up, a completely mess. Her knees were still buckling around, and Zuko licked her thighs. Her legs convulsed outward and he abruptly removed his fingers, instead holding her legs in place, as he placed his tongue onto her clitoris.

At his touch, she was consumed by feeling and a huge guttural groan came out of her as she felt the substance dripping down her walls. Katara became aware of the throbbing sensation near her legs, with Zuko staring at her utterly seduced the sound of her groan. Katara felt amazing, but it only changed her mood from sad to lustful. She lifted her head up slightly to face him and only said "more." He, too, was in need, but he recognized that she was the priority, fragile and delicate as she had been previously. He kissed her thighs, going up to her vagina, placing a kiss right on her clit, spreading her legs open again, but this time, he continued back up her stomach, trailing kisses around her neck, then gently resting on her lips. He pulled away right before their lips met and then he smashed his lips against hers, biting and sucking.

She could feel herself getting wetter by the minute and she needed release. She whimpered as her hands pulled Zuko's pants off, wrapping her fingers around his length and pumping. Zuko let out a guttural noise that only increased Katara's desire. She let go of his length and pushed Zuko down onto the bed as she hovered on top. She parted her legs and he entered her, as they both grasped each other's hands, overwhelmed by the contact. Katara let out another whimper, and Zuko asked "Are you okay, Katara? Do you want me to stop?" "No," she groaned, her voice full of desire, "please don't stop." At that, he gently pulled out and began to pump back into her. They said nothing, only staring into each other's eyes with lust and unspoken emotions. Aang had left Katara's mind and all she could think of was how Zuko did everything she needed. The sensation slowly filled them both up to the point of release, to which they came together.

Panting, Zuko gently turned Katara over on her side and kissed her cheek. Utterly exhausted, Katara said nothing and leaned into Zuko's chest, falling asleep almost instantaneously. Rather than pushing her off, Zuko only held her tighter, knowing it was what she needed the most.


	6. Hiatus

I've decided I'm actually gonna put this fic onto an indefinite hiatus. I love this ship, don't get me wrong, but I just haven't had the inspiration to write for this lately. I'm sorry, and maybe I'll pick this up later on, but I won't be continuing this anytime soon. I will still post ATLA/LoK stories however. =) Sorry for the inconvenience.


End file.
